Choose The Right Regulator For The Right Job (Part 1)

Focus:

It can be a daunting task for an engineer, who is responsible for all aspects of a complex board, to choose the optimum voltage regulator to power a particular load. Several IC suppliers offer very good solutions, but that does not assure you of obtaining the right regulator for a particular application. In this three-part article series, the author provides the background on the various regulator control schemes and design considerations to help the non-power expert to select a switching regulator for his/her application. The explanations are intuitive involving little to no math. Part 1 reviews the impact of the application’s load profile on requirements for regulator quiescent and shutdown current. The article then introduces the common regulator control schemes—hysteretic, pulse frequency modulation (PFM) and pulse-width modulation (PWM) and the related pulse-skipping mode. Next, it goes deeper into PWM by explaining PWM operation under voltage-mode and current-mode control. This part also explains why slope compensation is needed, asynchronous versus synchronous rectification, and use of internal versus external MOSFETs. Some example Maxim parts are cited.

What you’ll learn:

• How to select a switching regulator for your application
• How to understand the operation of PWM-based voltage regulators
• How to understand voltage-mode and current-mode control

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Author & Publication:

Don Corey, Maxim Integrated, Chelmsford, Mass, How2Power Today, Feb 15 2015

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